Newcastle United completed the permanent signing of Mike Williamson for an undisclosed fee on 28th January, 2010, after he had joined on emergency loan from Portsmouth two days earlier.

That initial temporary switch enabled Williamson to make his Magpies debut in their 2-0 win over Crystal Palace on 27th January, in which the defender was voted man of the match.

After his switch to the North-East, Williamson was a regular in the Newcastle side which stormed to the Championship title, and then made 32 appearances for United in their first season back in the Premier League.

During 2010/11 he formed an impressive partnership at the heart of the defence alongside Fabricio Coloccini, and defied his lack of top flight experience with some commanding displays as Newcastle finished 12th.

Early Days

Stoke born, Williamson started out at Torquay United before signing for Southampton in 2001. Loan spells back at Torquay, Doncaster Rovers and Wycombe Wanderers followed before a permanent switch to Adams Park in 2005.

The centre-back spent four years at Wycombe, making 107 league appearances and finding the back of the net nine times, before Watford moved to secure his services in January 2009.

His time at the Hertfordshire-based club was short but impressive, as he made a big impact before Portsmouth snapped him up at the beggining of the 2009/10 campaign.

Williamson failed to make a single appearance for Pompey before making his switch to Newcastle.